Copyright: The image Tiler v2.0 help.


Summary

The first time you will start The image Tiler you will notice that the new environment is a Windows explorer style interface. So all of you are already familiar with the most of the functions here.

At the left there is the Folders' tree area where you can browse for image files. If the directory you click on contains image files, these ones will appear in the area at the middle called the Listview area. Also called the Thumbnailer if in thumbnails view. By clicking a file in this area you can preview it in the Preview window at the right side and its properties will be shown at the Status bar. You can hide or show the Folders' tree and the Preview area if you wish. You can also adjust the size of these areas.

At the top of the Folder's tree there is a label that informs you about the image types you are browsing for, according to the choices you have made in Options. The total of the files contained in the Listview appears at another label next to it.

Finally there are a Toolbar and a Status bar, which you can hide or show also.

The Toolbar

Here are the most frequently used commands as buttons.

Browse for images.

Use thumbnails to preview the image files.

Use large icons for the Listview's contents.

Use small icons for the Listview's contents.

Use list mode for the Listview's contents.

Show details for the Listview's contents.

Show the Toolbox.

Options.

Help.

About.


Menus

Click any link below to see the appropriate menu commands.

File

View

Tools

Help


How to show the Toolbox

The Tiler's window is not an "On top" window so if you attempt to open the Toolbox from the menu

or the Toolbar, while the Tiler's window is shown, then the Tiler's window will go beyond The image

Tiler's main window.

To avoid this, if the Tiler's window is open then show the Toolbox by pressing F2 at the keyboard.

This will cause both windows to stay on top of the main one.


Welcome

Dear user.

Thank you for using The image Tiler, a previewer for tiled images that

will help you find, the most suitable images for use as background in

html pages, in projects, or even as wallpaper for Windows' desktop.

In addition The image Tiler can be used as a thumbnailer that will

help you preview your image files using thumbnails.


Overview

What is The image Tiler ?

First of all let's make clear that this software is not designed as an image viewer.

Its purpose is more specific than viewing images.

The image Tiler is a "Tiled image previewer", which means that can display repeated

images as they would appear on a web page, or as wallpaper for your Windows' desktop.

It is also a "Thumbnailer" that will help you preview thumbnails of your image files.

We have to say that this software does not generate Html files (yet), although it can

set an image as Windows' wallpaper.

Tiled images and textures.

Some images have been generated especially for use as Textures.

These are images that can be displayed repeated in order to cover an area, as a larger image would do. Textures can be used as backgrounds for web pages, projects with professional

look, to render areas in 3d games and of course as wallpaper for your Windows' desktop.

There are some differences in the images' format according to the purpose of their use.

For example, if you intend to use them on the Internet these images must be in Gif or Jpeg format, because of their size (Internet graphics must be small size for faster speed).

If you want to set an image as wallpaper in Windows this must be in Bitmap format because

this is the only one Windows use for this purpose.

Many excellent texture-generating programs are available on the Internet.

What is new ?

As you can see, this version of The image Tiler is totally redesigned and programmed from

the beginning, so it is useless to talk about new abilities here. You should better read the more

detailed topics about Using this software.


Support

Support it

Why free ?

I have decided now to make this software free because, one year has passed

since the last update (v2.0 final) and i do not intend to update it any more.

But i do ask something from you.

Programming is my hobby but composing music is my love. So, as an artist,

in association with mp3.com i have uploaded my songs in mp3 format

at www.mp3.com/Panos. There you can listen to them in Lo and Hi-fi and

also download them in Cd quality.

Support me

If you want to support me and you like music you have to go to my web page

at http://www.mp3.com/Panos and download at least one of my songs.

You can go there if you click the Mp3 button on the "About" form.

As i am a new artist on mp3.com i need your support. In addition they pay me for

every song of mine that is downloaded or listened.

I hope it is not so much trouble for you to do this. And you never know.You may like

my music and be my fan. And if you want to buy my Cds online you can do it at mp3.com.

Thanx for your time and i hope you will really enjoy my music.

Panos Koutsoukeras


Toolbox

With the Toolbox you can test fonts and colors to preview them on the background that

the tiled image has generated.

At the top there is a text box with the text "Sample Text" selected by default.

You can change this and type anything you want to appear on the Tiler window.

Notice that in order to see these changes, the Tiler window must be shown.

With the three vertical scroll bars you can change the fonts'  color.

The color system is the same that Windows use (RGB).

If your Html editor supports this format (RGB) you can use the same values that appear at the

top of the scroll bars for every color, otherwise you have to convert them in Hexadecimal values.

The horizontal scroll bar gives you the ability to change the fonts' size and from the dropdown

listbox you can select the fonts you will use.

If the "On top" checkbox is checked, the Toolbox stays on top of everything else.

This is selected by default and we suggest to not uncheck it.

The "Print" button has been disabled because of a bug.


Options


Viewer

Quick start

First of all you have to select the directory with the image files.

Click the Files\Open menu or the [image] Toolbar button or press Ctl+O at your keyboard

to bring the browse dialog. Notice that the filetypes you are browsing for appear at the top of the dialog. Select a directory and click OK. If the directory contains such files, these will appear in the Listview.

Click any file in the Listview or the Thumbnailer to view it at the Preview area. If you want to see this image tiled double click the file or click inside the Preview window. If you click the new window that pops out (Tiler) this one will close.

For Internet use you can test the Fonts that are available in your system in any color you like,

by pressing F2 at the keyboard, or the [image] button in the Toolbar, or through the menu Tools\Toolbox.

If the Tiler window is open then the easier way to bring the Toolbox window is to press F2.

You can customize the file types that you will browse for, by clicking the Tools\Options menu

or the [image] button in the Toolbar or by pressing F3. Notice that the changes made here apply dynamically to the software. At least one filetype must be checked otherwise an Error will occur.

Trying to keep this software as simple as possible, only basic options are available through this dialog.

After you will have run through these steps, you will have probably made up your mind about the

backgrounds you need. If we are talking about your new Html page you design, now is the time to use your Html editor. Open it, select the image file you have decided to use for the background, and set the Fonts and their color as they were in the Tiler's window.

If you are just looking for your new wallpaper for your desktop click the Files\Wallpaper menu or press Ctl+W at your keyboard.


Keyboard shortcuts

Most of this program's functions can be controlled through your keyboard.

These associations are:

Keys	Functions

F1	Help

F2	Hide/Show the Toolbox

F3	Hide/Show the Options dialog

F4	Thumbnails

F5	Refresh

F6	Large icons

F7	Small icons

F8	List

F9	Details

Ctl+T	Hide/Show the Toolbar

Ctl+S	Hide/Show the Status bar

Ctl+F	Hide/Show the Folders tree

Ctl+P	Hide/Show the Preview area

Ctl+O	Opens the browse dialog

Ctl+W	Set an image as wallpaper

Ctl+I	Web page

Enter	If an image file is selected in the Listview or the Thumbnailer the Tiler's

window will open

Esc	If the Tiler's window is open with the focus on it, this will close

Alt+X	Exit the software.


Tiling speed

If your system is not so fast or if you try to tile a 16x16 image to a 1024x768 area and the tiling is slow (Tiler's window) then try to reduce the Tiler's size. For such small images even a 300x300

area would be enough for previewing.

If you intend to use the images on the Internet, remember that the amount of images' colors affects

the downloading speed, so try to keep them no more than 256.


Where are the images

If you cannot find any image files when browsing your system, check the label at the top

of the Folders tree or on the dialog to see what filetypes you are browsing for.

Sometimes you may not find any Jpeg files just because you have disabled the Jpeg image

type from appearing in the Listview (Options).


Acknowledgments

· Thanks to the beta testers who help track down problems before The image Tiler is publicly

   released.

· Thank you to all users who have communicated with us reporting problems and suggestions.

· Finally, thanks to all users who supported this software by registering and recommending it to

   their friends.


File

The commands in File menu are:

Open

Open the search directory dialog to browse for images.

The file types you browse for, appear at the top of the dialog.

Wallpaper

After you have chosen an image file, you can set it as wallpaper for your Windows desktop.

As Windows supports only Bitmap files for wallpaper, the non-Bitmap images will be converted

to Bitmap format and saved in your Windows directory as Wallpaper.bmp file.

Exit

Exit this software.


View

The commands in View menu are:

Toolbar

Hide or show the Toolbar

Status bar

Hide or show the Status bar.

Folders tree

Hide or show the Folders tree.

Preview

Hide or show the Preview area.

Thumbnails

Use thumbnails for your image files.

Large icons

Use large icons for the Listview's contents.

Small icons

Use small icons for the Listview's contents.

List

Use list mode for the Listview's contents.

Details

Show details for the Listview's contents.

Arrange icons...

  By name

  Arrange he Listview's contents by name.

  By size

  Arrange he Listview's contents by size.

  By type

  Arrange he Listview's contents by type.

  Ascending

  Ascending order.

  Descending

  Descending order.

Refresh

Refresh the Listview's contents.

If an item that appears in the Listview has been deleted from the folder it belongs to,

or if new files have been added in this folder, you have to refresh the Listview's contents

manually in order the files to appear correctly in the Listview.


Tools

The commands in Tools menu are:

Toolbox

Hide or show the Toolbox.

Options

Customize this software's behavior.


Help

The commands in Help menu are:

Contents

Opens this help file.

Web page

Visit The image Tiler's web page.

Mp3

Go to my page at mp3.com. There you can listen to my music

and support my work.

About

Show the about dialog.


About The image Tiler

Version 2.0

      Copyright © 1999 by Panos Koutsoukeras.

Web: http://users.forthnet.gr/ath/kpanos

Mail: kpanos@ath.forthnet.gr


Arrange icons

You can arrange the icons in the Listview window, when shown in details style by clicking

the Headers. This will arrange the icons by "Header" and an arrow will indicate the order.


Wallpaper

Because the Wallpaper command will not change your desktop wallpaper style (tiled, centered..),

you have to do it manually through the Control panel\Display\Background.

If your previous wallpaper was tiled, the new one will be tiled too, so you do not have to worry.


Thumbnailer's size

Notice that the thumbnailer's size is crucial for the amount of the thumbnails that will be shown.

Every column in this area is limited to display up to 255 thumbnails. So you have to give the appropriate space for your images to be displayed. Then the amount of the thumbnails you can show here is only restricted by your system's memory.